How do you become a journeyperson mechanic in Quebec?

Where a CPA exists, you register with the committee, receive an apprentice card, log the required hours, then write the qualification exam. Registration is mandatory: an employer cannot hire an apprentice who has not completed that step.

You can enter with the Diploma of Vocational Studies (DEP) in Automobile Mechanics (program 5298, 1,800 hours) or start in a shop without that diploma. The DEP usually credits 1,800 hours toward the apprenticeship. Candidates generally need to be at least 16 and have schooling equivalent to Grade 9.

The hour requirement before the exam varies by CPA, often somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 hours over about four years. In the Quebec City and Lévis area, for example, the decree sets a four-year apprenticeship in four blocks of 1,720 hours. The exam typically includes a written part and a practical part. A card issued by one CPA is recognized by the other CPAs in Quebec.

In regions with no joint committee, that competency card is not required. Separate certificates may still apply for specific tasks, such as handling refrigerants in vehicle air conditioning: those are not the same as journeyperson status. Qualifications Québec outlines the process.